Five things we learned in QP Thursday

Maybe the warm temperatures outside can explain the hot heads indoors, but when Iraq came up – as it has every day this week — the debate ended with one side beating their desks and chanting ‘vote’, while the other saluted the defence minister with a standing ovation. The NDP continues to question the government on details of Canada’s involvement in Iraq and now, with details out of New York, how that involvement will change when the 30-day initial commitment in Iraq is up.

From Iraq to Ebola, with the TFWP firmly set under the bus, here’s what was discussed in question period.

What happens in NY doesn’t stay in NY

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be speaking tonight to the United Nations General Assembly, but his visit to the Big Apple has already provided fodder for the Opposition’s use in question period. Today NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair continued his line of questioning on Iraq: how many additional soldiers are we considering sending over? When did the United States send us a letter requesting this? Will he release the letter or will that stay in New York too?

He wasn’t alone today; Joyce Murray and the Liberals followed up immediately, giving Minister Rob Nicholson no reprieve: if the United Kingdom can call for a debate on sending forces into Iraq, why aren’t we? Nicholson took none of it, saying if the opposition parties care so much, they should call for debate on their respective opposition days, leading Mulcair to reply that presentations aren’t good enough and they want more than debate, they want a vote. The House split between desk banging and clapping vote and the Conservatives at their feet applauding Nicholson, who couldn’t be heard outside his immediate area.

$30 M headed for Ebola fight, vaccines still on order

Some good news out of New York, Canada has increased funding to fighting Ebola by $30 million, which was announced this morning. The number didn’t figure into any of the responses Rona Ambrose gave to the Opposition, who challenged the government to take bigger leaps and explain why thousands of vaccines promised weeks ago had yet to be delivered. Thankfully for her, some kind soul in the backbench of the Conservative party took the time to lob a softball question to her, which allowed her to repeat the funding announcement for the record.

Kenney does stand-up

In relation to questions on low wages and the generation gap illustrated recently by a report from the Conference Board of Canada, New Democrat Chris Charlton received one of the loudest round of applause from the NDP when she appealed for a higher minimum wage referring back to the NDP’s failed motion for a $15 federal minimum wage. Jason Kenney had a dad joke waiting in the wings, opening his reply with, “breaking news: provinces set the minimum wage.”

Rathgeber cost saving measure: Google Alerts

Brent Rathgeber, former Conservative MP gone independent, had one of the best questions of the day, and here it is:

“The government has spent more than $20 million on media monitoring contracts since December 2012, notwithstanding maintaining an army of 3,300 communications staff across all government lines. Given that this in-house communication staff costs nearly $263 million every year, why does the government need to outsource another $20 million in media monitoring services? Has the government never heard of Google Alerts? What do all of these people do?”

The answer?

“This is part of how we inform ourselves and make informed decisions and we will continue to do so,” said Tony Clement.

Mulcair sees foreign people: Kenney

Kenney has revived a quote from Mulcair that the Opposition leader likely wishes he’d never said, and has gone on to use it in defending against temporary foreign worker program attacks. How can the NDP be taken seriously when their leader once said on live television that “the temporary foreign worker program morphed into having everybody in your McDonald’s or your Tim Hortons coming from another country?” According to Kenney the vast majority of fast food workers are Canadian. So who are these foreigners that Muclair sees all around.

Kenney also denied the NDP any credit for the restrictions and changes being made to the program. When asked about oilsands and construction-site limitations, Kenney replied, “I can commit to it because we have already done it, with the quadrupling of the number of inspectors, funded by the new $1,000 application fee.”